Handle operated force-feed wax applicator



Nov. 8, 1960 e. G. JETTER HANDLE OPERATED FORCE-FEED WAX APPLICATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 10. 1958 INVENTOR. BY a,

ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 8, 1960 a. G. JETTER 2,958,887

HANDLE OPERATED FORCE-FEED WAX APPLICATOR Filed Feb. 10. 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

A -r Tom/E 5 INVENTOR.

Nov. 8, 1960 G. G. JETTER HANDLE OPERATED FORCE-FEED WAX APPLICATOR Filed Feb. 10, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 A r Tam/E Y5.

United States Patent 2,958,887 HANDLE OPERATED FORCE-FEED WAX APPLICATOR George G. letter, Fort Recovery, Ohio Filed Feb. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 714,246 7 Claims. (Cl. 15131) The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved, handle operated, force-feed wax applicator which may be used in conjunction with an ordinary can of paste wax to apply the wax to large surface areas, such as floors in the home. The present invention contemplates a long handled applicator to which a can of wax may be attached so as to utilize the original container as a feed cylinder, the applicator being adjustable so as to accommodate wax cans of different heights. The advantage in utilizing the original container as a feed cylinder lies in dispensing with the troublesome, time-consuming and messy job of taking paste wax out of an original container and then loading it into a feed cylinder. In addition, in instances where a permanent feed cylinder is used, it is often necessary to clean the cylinder of the old dry wax before it can be refilled.

A further purpose of this invention is to provide a force-feed mechanism which may be conveniently operated from the long handle of the applicator so that the user never has to stop and stoop over to obtain a fresh supply of wax. In the preferred embodiment the forcefeed mechanism provided may be activated simultaneously with the operation of the applicator by merely raising the handle to a perpendicular position and then twisting it in a clockwise direction.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved handle operated force-feed waxer having a replaceable felt waxing pad and a slidably mounted pad cover which cleans itself as it is removed. The cover also serves as a bottom plate for the waxer and seals the wax feed opening so the air does not dry out the wax supply.

For the attainment of these and such other objects as may appear or be pointed out, I have shown an embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawing, wherein: I

Figure l is a side elevational view of a waxer incorporating the principles of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view shown partly in section.

Figure 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view of the waxer taken along line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away to illustrate details of construction.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the waxer, the bottom cover plate shown partially removed.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 88 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of Figure 4.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary view showing an alternate means of securing the wax can within the invention.

Attention is first directed to Figure 1 which discloses a preferred embodiment of the invention associated with an ordinary can of paste wax 1. Generally, the applicator shown comprises a handle 2, an operating yoke 3, a force-feeding mechanism 4, and a base plate 5.

The applicator is designed to receive an ordinary can of paste wax 1 so as to utilize the original container as a feed cylinder. To prepare the can for use with my invention, the top of the can is first removed and then the bottom of the can is cut out with an ordinary kitchen 2,958,887 Patented Nov. 8, 1960 ice can opener. As may be seen in Figure 1, the can 1 is inserted in the waxer upside down, and the base plate 5 is provided with a raised circular, flanged sealing ring 6 which is designed to receive the flanged, seal-type upper rim of the conventional wax can. Sealing ring 6 is also provided with a rubber gasket 7 which aids in rendering an effective seal between the base plate 5 and the can 1.

After the top and bottom have been removed from the can 1, the handle 2 and operating yoke 3 are pivoted out of the way, and the full can of wax is placed upside down onto base plate 5 so that the upper rim 8 of the can 1 engages sealing ring 6. Then a circular cap 10 is placed over the bottom rim 9 of can 1, the bottom rim now appearing as the upper rim due to the inverted position of the can.

As is disclosed in Figure 4, the feeding mechanism 4 consists of cap 10, a saddle-shaped feed screw actuator 11, a plunger plate 13, and a threaded feed screw or plunger rod 12. Rod 12 extends through a smooth bore in the center of cap 10 and is threaded through the center of a plunger or feed plate 13. Cap 10 consists of a circular plate with a short cylindrical outer skirt 14 depending downwardly so as to engage the outer periphery of the can 1, adjacent to lower rim 9. A circular flange 15, depends downwardly from the underface of cap 10, the flange 15 having a slightly smaller radius than skirt 14 so that an annular groove 16 is formed in which the bottom rim 9 is received when the cap 10 is lowered to engage bottom rim 9. Before cap 10 can be lowered to engage bottom rim 9, the plunger plate 13 must be screwed all the way up threaded plunger rod 12 until it is flush with the underface of cap 10, the plunger rod 12 must be forced downwardly through the center of the wax 17 which fills can 1.

The diameter of plunger plate 13 is slightly smaller than the internal diameter of can 1 so that the plate 13 may be moved vertically within can 1 up and down the length of threaded plunger rod 12, by merely turning the rotatably mounted plunger rod by means of the saddleshaped actuator 11 which is fixed to the upper portion of rod 12. As is disclosed in Figure 9, the bottom or wax engaging face of plunger plate 13 is provided with a plurality of radially extending ribs 27 which engage the wax, thereby keeping the plate from turning with the rotating rod. As is disclosed in Figure 3, plunger rod 12 is rotatably journalled in cap 10 being held therein between a cotter pin 28 and a washer 29 at the underside of the cap and the undersurface of actuator 11 above the cap.

After plunger rod 12 has been forced down through the full can of wax and the bottom rim 9 of the can 1 has been firmly seated in annular groove 16, threaded locking rods 18 are pivoted upwardly so their upper portions engage in locking notches 19, and then locking wing nuts 20 are screwed downwardly on threaded looking rods 18 until the lower faces of said locking wing nu-ts become forcibly engaged against the upper faces 21 of the locking notches 19, thereby forcing the underface of cap portion 10 downwardly so as to securely lock the can 1 between the underface of cap portion 10, and the upper face of the base plate portion 5. As disclosed in Figure 1, locking rods 18 are pivotally mounted at their lower ends by means of clevis assemblies 22. Clevis assemblies 22 are comprised of clevis arms 23 and clevis pins 24 which extend through the arms and through lower eye portions 25 of the locking rods 18, the eye portions 25 being disposed between the said clevis arms 23.

Attention is now directed to Figure 3 for a disclosure of the operating yoke. Yoke 3 comprises a threaded handle receiving socket 30, the yoke itself, which is designated 31, operating lever 32, and operating lever connecting pin 33. Connecting pin 33 is rotatably mounted through the top center of the yoke in a supporting collar 34 having a smooth bore 36. The upper end of the connecting pin 33 is fixed to the base of socket 30 and the lower portion of the pin is fixed to the operating lever 32. The pin may be fixed to the aforementioned lever and collar portions in any conventional manner, such as by peening. It will be noted in Figure 3 that the operating lever 32 is provided with a boss 37, the upper face of which contacts the underside of a similar boss on yoke 31.

The socket 30 includes internal threads 38 which are designed to accommodate the threaded metal tip of a conventional long handle 2. It will be noted that the respective threads 38 are right hand threads, thereby providing for clockwise turning of the handle 2 during both the insertion of the handle into the receiving collar 36 and in the operation of the force-feeding mechanism 4. This results in a tightening of the handle connection when the handle is turned to operate the force-feed mechanism, thereby insuring that the handle will not become disengaged during a waxing operation.

Before the force-feed mechanism can be operated, the operating yoke 31 must be pivoted to a position perpendicular to the base plate 5, as is disclosed by the dot-dash lines of Figure 1, as this is the only position in which the operating lever 32 will engage the upwardly extending wings of saddle-shaped actuator 11. The correct engagement of these parts is disclosed in Figure 3.

Figure l discloses the detail of a means of pivotally mounting the operating yoke 31 to the base plate portion 5. The lower end of each arm of the yoke 31 is pivotally mounted to an upright supporting member or bracket 39 which, in the preferred embodiment, is formed integrally with the base plate 5. This pivotal mounting is accomplished by the use of pivot pins 26, each of which is threaded through two smooth bore openings, one opening being through the lower end portion of each arm of the operating yoke and the other being through the upper portion of each of the brackets 39. Conventional means are utilized to hold the pins in place. It will be noted that duplicate vertical edges of the two brackets 39 are provided with outwardly extending stops 40. When the yoke 31 is pivoted toward these stops, the stops arrest the pivotal movement of the yoke by abutting the lower straight edged portions 41 of the yoke at a moment when the arms of the yoke are exactly in the perpendicular position required for handle operation of'the forcefeed mechanism, thus making it easy for the user to obtain this necessary physical relationship without being required to gauge the attitude of the yoke arms from different sighting angles. The lower ends 42 of the yoke arms are rounded so that they easily clear the stops 40 when the yoke is pivoted away from the stops.

When it is desired to operate the force-feed mechanism, the handle 2 is utilized to pivot the operating yoke 31 to the perpendicular position. The handle is then rotated in a clockwise direction. This rotation causes the operating lever 32 to turn in the same clockwise direction. As soon as the operating lever engages the upwardly extending wings of saddle-shaped actuator 11, the actuator begins to turn in the same direction also, thereby urging the plunger rod 12 to rotate clockwise inside the wax can 1. As is disclosed by Figure 4, the rotating plunger rod 12 screw drives plunger plate 13 downwardly within wax can 1, thereby forcing the wax 17 down through the wax feed opening 43 in the base plate and as seen in Figure 5 the upper faces, 44 of feed opening 43 are beveled downwardly toward the opening so as to aid in the downward passage of the wax.

As disclosed in Figure 7, the bottom of the base plate member 5 is substantially rectangular having a replaceable, pervious, felt waxing pad 45 which is configurated to fit around the feed opening 43. As indicated in Figure 6, the replaceable felt waxing pad 45 is affixed to a metal backing member 46 which is provided with a plurality of threaded screw openings in order to receive screws 47 which are inserted through corresponding openings in base plate 5. A top plan view of the arrangement of the screw heads 47 is disclosed in Figure 5. Again with reference to Figmre 6, it may be seen that the metal backing member 46 is of sufiicient thickness to accommodate the length of screw 47 when it is screwed down flush with the upper surface of base plate 5, so that the screw tip does not enter or protrude into the felt pad portion, causing the latter to be lumpy or to be broken away from the metal backing member. The felt pad 45 is aflixed to the metal backing member 46 by any conventional means, for instance, glue. The pad, together with the metal backing member, form the complete replaceable unit. When it is desired to replace the waxing pad, the screws 47 are loosened, and the pad and metal backing member are removed, and a similar unit is aifixed in place by means of the same screws 47. It may be seen in Figure 6 that base plate portion 5 is provided with a downwardly depending lip or skirt 48 within which metal backing member 46 fits. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the metal backing member fits loosely within the peripheral lip or skirt 48; however, the invention contemplates the use of a tight fitting skirt that could be utilized as a snap means for attaching the removable waxing pad in lieu of screw means 47.

The device is provided with a slidably removable metal cover plate 49. Figure 7 discloses a bottom plan view disclosing the cover plate 49 partially removed from the felt pad 45. Cover plate 49 is substantially rectangular in order to accommodate the rectangular configuration of the downwardly depending skirt 48 of the lower base portion 5. 'Cover plate 49 is provided with two integral, upwardly extending side support members 50 which are disclosed in Figure 8. These members extend vertically upwardly and inwardly to fit firmly against the outside faces of the lip 48 so that when these side support members are so engaged with the said lip 4-8, the upper face of bottom plate portion 54 of cover plate 49 firmly engages the lower or buifing face of waxing pad 45. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, cover plate 49 is provided with a plurality of downwardly depending integral projections or dimples 51 which serve as contact points for the applicator to stand on when the cover plate is slidably attached. As is disclosed in Figure l, upwardly extending side support members 50 are formed along the short edges or sides of the rectangular cover plate 49. One of the long edges of said cover plate is provided with an integral and substantially vertical flange 52 which extends upwardly. The purpose of this flange is to provide a limit stop for the plate so that it will not he slid all the way across the bottom of the pad and off on the other side, but will be stopped at exactly the right position so as to be centrally located thereunder. The remaining long edge, which is open edge 53, may be provided with an integral downwardly curved flange 55 to facilitate the attachment of the cover plate 49 by guiding the cover plate into alignment with the bottom of felt pad 45 when the cover plate is slidably attached.

The cover plate 49 fulfills three important functions; the first being to provide a protective cover for the waxing pad, the second being to provide a stand or rest for the waxer, and the third being to provide a seal across the bottom of the feed opening 43 so that the wax is protected from the drying effects of the air. The tight, sliding fit of the cover plate 49 results in the cover plate frictionally cleaning itself against the face of the Waxing pad 45 when it is slidably removed from the applicator. This, of course, is an advantage in that the user is not required to clean the cover plate of excess wax before it can be reattached.

As disclosed in Figure 10, the instant invention also contemplates a waxer adaptable for use with an ordinary wax container in which the waxer mounts a containing cylinder 56 that completely encloses the wax container 1. This containing cylinder 56 may be integral with the base plate 5 or mounted thereon. For use with a waxer of this type of construction, a can is prepared in the same way (by removing the top and bottom) and then slipped down into the containing cylinder. The containing cylinder is of larger diameter than the outside diameter of the wax container and is of sufficient height or length to completely enclose the wax container. As long as the plunger plate is of appropriate size to fit easily within the container 1, it makes no difference whether the container fits tightly or loosely within the containing cylinder 56, therefore making it possible for the same waxer to be used with wax containers of different sizes. This type of construction permits a simple and attractive means of locking the wax container within the containing cylinder since the upper portion of the containing cylinder may be provided with means to attach a screw cap 57. Of course, the screw cap 57 would be the equivalent of cap portion disclosed in Figure 4, and a similar force-feed mechanism would be utilized. This latter type of construction presents an overall modern appearance, since the containing cylinder may be attractively decorated and the can of wax, which by necessity is mounted upside down, is completely hidden from view. It should also be pointed out that the containing cylinder type of construction makes the waxer available for use with waxed paper or cardboard wax containers since the walls of the containing cylinder supply a reinforcement for the comparatively weak walls of such containers. This factor is particularly attractive since the paper or cardboard type of container is cheaper and can be more easily disposed of than its metal counterpart.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. A handle-operated waxer for use with an open ended wax container, said waxer having an apertured base plate, means to removably mount said wax container upon said base plate surrounding the aperture in said base plate, and an apertured wax container cover, means to removably mount said wax container cover to close the upper end of said open ended wax container, a forcefeed mechanism comprising a threaded plunger rod, a plunger plate, said plunger rod being journalled in the apertured container cover so that its lower portion depends downwardly into the container, said plunger plate being threadably mounted upon said rod below the cover, the upper portion of said rod extending upwardly through said cover, a saddle-shaped actuator mounted at the upper end of said plunger rod, said saddle-shaped actuator having two spaced portions extending upwardly, a U-shaped yoke pivotally attached to opposite sides of said base plate to straddle said wax container, a rotatable socket mounted at the center of said yoke, the lower portion of said socket mounting an actuator operator disposed generally perpendicular to the central axis of said socket, a handle received in said socket whereupon the U-shaped yoke being pivotally moved so that the central axis of the socket is approximately coincident with the central axis of the wax container, said actuator operator is positioned between the spaced portions of said saddle-shaped actuator to engage the actuator operator with said spaced portions of the actuator and upon rotation of the handle to rotate said journalled threaded plunger rod to force the plunger plate downwardly and push wax from said container through the apertured base plate.

2. A waxer of the type as set forth in claim 1 for use with a wax container having its top and bottom removed in which said means to removably mount said wax container includes a housing, adapted to receive said container and said apertured container cover.

3. A waxer of the type set forth in claim 1 for use with a wax container having its top and bottom removed in which said means to removably mount said wax container includes a housing adapted to receive said container and said apertured container cover, a waxing pad having a soft face and rigid back, means to secure said waxing pad to the upper surface of said base plate with the rigid back of said pad in contact with the base plate, a cover plate, means to removably secure said cover plate on the base plate against the soft face of said waxing pad, and said waxing pad having an aperture therethrough communioating with the aperture in said base plate.

4. A force-feed waxer for use with a wax container having its ends removed, said waxer comprising a base plate having a wax feeding aperture therethrough, means to seat an end of said wax container on the upper face of said base plate surrounding said aperture, an apertured, removable cover for said container, a substantially U- shaped yoke having the outer ends of its arms pivotally attached to opposite sides of said base plate to straddle a container of wax thereon, a feed screw journalled in said apertured cover to depend into said container, a plunger plate threadably engaged upon the portion of said feed screw depending into said container, whereby rotation of the feed screw moves the plunger plate downwardly, a saddle-shaped actuator having spaced upwardly extending portions mounted upon the upper portion of said journalled plunger rod above said container, 21 rotatably mounted socket, a handle received in said socket, said socket being mounted in the bight of said U-shaped yoke, an actuating means disposed generally perpendicular to the central axis of said socket, said means being mounted upon the lower end of said socket, whereupon the pivoting of said U-shaped yoke into a substantially vertical position engages said actuating means with said spaced upright portions of the saddle-shaped actuator so that rotation of said handle rotates the feed screw and forces wax from the container through the feeding aperture in the base plate.

5. A force-feed waxer of the type as set forth in claim 4 for use with a cylindrical wax container having its bottom removed, means on said container for cooperating with a removable top, the means to seat said container on the upper face of the base plate comprising cooperating means identical to the cooperating means of said container, whereby the container may be mounted upside down on the base plate.

6. A waxer as set forth in claim 4 in which a container housing is mounted upon said base plate, and means to removably secure said cover to the housing and to lock the container of wax therein.

7. An actuating mechanism for a waxer having an apertured horizontal base plate adapted to receive an open ended wax container, a support pivotally mounted on said base plate, a rotatable member mounted on said support, a plunger plate having a threaded aperture, a threaded feed screw threadably engaged in said threaded aperture, means mounting said feed screw for insertion in said wax container; said actuating mechanism comprising a generally U-shaped actuator, a generally horizontally disposed operating lever, said U-shaped actuator being mounted on one of said feed screw and rotatable member, said operating lever being mounted upon the other of said feed screw and rotatable member, said support being pivotal to bring said lever and actuator in to operating engagement whereby rotation of said rotatable member rotates said feed screw to drive said plunger plate to force said wax through the aperture in said base plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,885,997 Durham Nov. 1, 1932 1,955,703 Whittenberg Apr. 17, 1934 1,969,476 Riebel et al Aug. 7, 1934 2,735,124 Wilson Feb. 21, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 25,978 Great Britain of 1909 

